P.O. Box 1074 Mooloolaba Qld 4557 |
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If you have a story you would like to tell or have found an article you'd like to share, please send them to yourstory@kindermusik.com.au
Erin has learnt so much from Kindermusik. She recently started keyboard lessons and already knew so many of the basic concepts of music. This has helped her confidence and skill level so much. Much of Erin's Kindermusik experience has enhanced other areas of her learning too. The instruments, books and CDs that form part of the course are so comprehensive and make it such a well-rounded experience.
My 13-month-old daughter Grace, and I have been apart of a Kindermusik class in Adelaide for one term now and have had an absolute ball! 'Mr Geoff' (our Kindermusik teacher) is wonderful with the children. He brings the room to life and has an amazing ability to create the most inspiring, fun and exciting atmosphere every lesson!I love that the classes provide both a structured environment and also times for fun and free play learning.
It's been terrific to see Grace discovering music and interacting with other children her age. Being an instrumental teacher myself, I really appreciate and value the importance of recognising and incorporating music, rhythm and movement in our day-to-day lives. Our Kindermusik classes have given me some wonderful ideas and resources to use at home with Grace, we've had some really memorable times together at home using our 'Kindermusik pack'.
I have wanted to get involved with Kindermusik since before Grace was born and I'm so very glad that we signed up. We've both learnt a great deal already and had so much fun, we can't wait for all the new and wonderful things to discover in our Kindermusik classes this year! Michelle Seyfang (Adelaide)
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With the take home CD's we listen, march, tango, twirl and sway while playing, washing up, driving the car and even dad gets involved when it's his turn to cook dinner. Madeleine, usually a very energetic child has even now begun to choose to listen quietly with her CD and drum instead of TV as calm down time! As an early childhood professional myself, I can see the remarkable impact that Trish and Kindermusik have hadon Madeleine's development, learning and most importantly, the enjoyment of music. Thank you Trish for being so passionate in your endeavour with us!"
· every parent is the child's most important teacher, · the home is the most important learning environment, and, · based on research, music nurtures a child's cognitive, emotional, social, language and physical development.
From birth through to seven years of age, your child can grow with Kindermusik without pressure to perform, only encouragement to explore, express and discover. You'll see a developmental evolution in language skills, emerging literacy, listening, problem solving, social skills, self-esteem and musicality! For more than 20 years, Kindermusik has helped more than one million children and their families discover the joy of learning through music.
Join us in giving your child the best gift you can ever give.
Kindermusik: Something to Sing About
When Tyler was just six months old, he and his mother began to spend 45 minutes each week listening to different types of music, rocking back and forth and exploring musical objects. While this scenario might not seem fantastic, what makes it unique is that Tyler's family, of Queensland, don't do this at home -- nor do they do it alone. Instead of using their own compact disc collection, pounding on the family piano and dancing in the living room, Tyler and his mother are among a growing number of parent-child couples taking music appreciation one step further. Tyler's mother can agree with that. She literally gushes when asked to point out the positives of Tyler's participation in Kindermusik. "He gets to play with all kinds of different toys, musical instruments, bubbles and lots of other things," she says. "He loves when all the mums and babies dance around in circles. He loves to be face to face with the friends that he has made there. I truly believe that not only is Tyler building musical knowledge, but he is building friendships -- even at this young age."
For the Mother "It was fun to participate and watch him have fun," says Shelly of New South Wales. And while she agrees that Kindermusik classes are definitely a great bonding tool, she also feels grateful for the companionship of the other mothers. Truth be told, Kindermusik can be much more than a way of introducing baby to the wonderful world of music. "At times, being a stay-at-home Mum can be quite isolating. It's hard to find different things to do and to meet other Mums that you could do those things with," One mother says. "I was so excited when I signed us up for Kindermusik, I just knew that not only would Ben make new friends, but so would I." For a Lifetime As for Erin, the Kindermusik experience has gone beyond the classroom. "We plan on starting a play group and also getting together with a few other Mums from the class," she says. "Good things have really come from taking our Kindermusik class." While all of this is true, in the end, Kindermusik is a weekly reason to get out of the house and into an environment where crawling, walking, squirming, whining and even crying babies are welcomed with open arms. For an exhausted and often overwhelmed mother, that in itself is worth the fee. For more information call 1300 721 722
“Is today a Kindermusik day Mummy?”
What people are saying about Kindermusik:
From Cindy Dougherty, Kindermusik Educator, on Josh with Downs Syndrome:
C. Shoobridge, Father of Sarah, age 2½: “Kindermusik has become a special part of our lives. Sarah and I look forward to Monday evenings. It is our very special time together. During the week, we continue to share the songs, chants and rhymes that we do during class. I cannot imagine what we did before Kindermusik.”
R. Miller, Mother of Ryan, age 5½: “Ryan has learned so much these past two years! We are amazed at her wealth of knowledge. Her confidence and self-esteem have also grown. I wish all learning experiences could be so joyous.”
“Kindermusik provides the sound nutrition to improve movement, listening, and expression in young children. Through activities and music making, skills for parents and children alike create inroads for the great orchestration of a family's hearts, minds, and bodies.”
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka - International family educator and author of 'Raising Your Spirited Child', 'Raising Your Spirited Child Workbook', and 'Power Struggles: Winning for a Lifetime': "Kindermusik brings parents and children together for fun and education. The learning is active, engaging and developmentally appropriate. Children are exposed to diverse materials and are provided with rich opportunities for hands-on experiences with developmentally appropriate instruments. The joy is in the process of learning and the result is children who are more attuned in reaching their full potential.”
For further information phone Kindermusik Head Office on 1300 721 722.
Music Does Make a Difference.
Every child is born with musical ability, but if it's not nurtured early then it can fail to develop. Being “unmusical” is more an outcome of poor training or lack of opportunity than it is from lack of ability. Research published in early 2002 indicates that all babies are born with perfect pitch - it's how they are able to recognise their mother's voice and learn language. But if they don't learn to use it, then they lose it. Early childhood music classes help a child to retain that fundamental musical skill. Music increases memory and reasoning capacity, and eloquence A series of research experiments in Hungary in the 1950s explored why children studying at special music kindergarten and primary schools had higher academic scores than those at mainstream schools. The studies concluded that learning and playing music improved not just academic performance, but also memory, reasoning, cooperation and the ability to think in the abstract. Music improves concentration, memory and self-expression A two year study in Switzerland run with 1200 children in more than 50 classes scientifically showed how playing music improved children's reading and verbal skills though improving concentration, memory and self expression. Others effects revealed by the study showed that children learned to like each other more, enjoyed school more (as did their teachers) and were less stressed during the various tests, indicating they were better able to handle stress. Music improves the ability to think
Ongoing studies have shown that learning and playing music builds and modifies neural pathways related to spatial reasoning tasks. We are born with all our brain cells but our neural pathways connections are made after we are born. Music helps improve these neural pathways in every area of brain development. Why should my child learn Music?
Society has believed for many years that children should learn music for Music's sake, as an excellent accomplishment and part of a well rounded, balanced education. Today, children are expected to learn so much more and parents have to decide which subjects their child can drop. The answer is: Not music!! There is too much research to show that music is what helps all the other subjects they have to do. For over 30 years Kindermusik has been and still is the world's most respected name in musical learning for young children. Every aspect of the Kindermusik program is grounded in these core beliefs: every child is musical, every parent is the child's most important teacher, the home is the most important place for learning to take root and grow, and that based on research, music nurtures a child's cognitive, emotional, social, language and physical development. From birth through seven years of age, with the caring guidance of a trained and licensed Kindermusik educator, your child can grow with Kindermusik without pressure to perform, only encouragement to explore, express and discover. You'll see a developmental evolution in language skills, literacy, listening, problem solving, social skills, self-esteem and musicality! You'll be involved in every stage of your child's Kindermusik experience with the at Home materials. These include music, literature and activities, which extend the fun and discovery of our classes into the home to foster special times of connecting between parent and child. The above research data was extracted with permission from Australian Music Association literature.
Music for the mind Using song to help toddlers develop their speech skills.
Brown-eyed Kirsten F approached a sparkling triangle and smiled broadly as she heard the instrument's clear tone ring at her gentle touch. A few minutes later, she rolled across her mother's lap, giggling as she sang about a steamroller. One of eight children in a 40-minute Kindermusik class, Kirsten, 3, loves to sing and play instruments. But the focus of this international program extends beyond talent. Kindermusik is a curriculum based on the total development of children from birth through age 7 involving vocalization, movement, listening, playing and creativity.
"Kirsten has never been to preschool, and this has helped her learn to take turns, share, wait her turn and to express herself," said her mother, Carrie F, 29, of NSW. Kirsten's parents have carried the theory of learning through song into the house, where their daughter practices singing the alphabet and her address.
At 20 months old, Emily C is one of the youngest participants in the once-a-week class, but already is reacting positively. An only child, Emily is learning to interact with other children and to mimic different skills, said her mother, Lisa C, 28, of Noosaville.
"More parents are interested in the benefits of such programs for their children. From 2001 to 2006, the program saw a 100 percent increase in families enrolled worldwide", said Julie Boggins, spokesperson for Kindermusik International. Those trained to teach Kindermusik say the program improves children's memory and recall, and it helps them learn to talk about activities and feelings through creative imitation and drama. Program research indicates that the language skills of many preschoolers go beyond the simple labelling of words. Music helps the child expand those words into sentences and patterns.
"I certainly know of parents who report that music programs help their child with expressive and social skills," said Laurence Leonard, professor of speech language pathology at Purdue University. "The very notion of the (Kindermusik) program follows the idea of language practice -- that young children might be stimulated to talk through music." Leonard cited research-involving adults who have lost their ability to vocalize after strokes, a condition known as adult aphasia. Through music, the adults relearn to string syllables together and talk with exaggerated intonation. The singsong pattern helps the adults' form words to communicate.
Some early childhood development experts believe constant stimulation -- listening to music or hearing stories -- triggers a child's speech. Pat Kuhl, a neuroscientist with the University of Washington, wrote in one report: "We used to think language began at the one-year stage when kids started producing their first words and they started to understand words. Now what we're learning is that well before the stage at which babies understand or produce any words at all, their hearing systems are beginning to be sculpted by language input."
Programs such as Kindermusik exercise a child's brain, sparking neurological connections that introduce speech patterns. And with children who might be developmentally delayed, music is believed to give them an outlet and a means of relating to other children. Debra Nethercutt, director of children and youth music at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, has seen firsthand the benefits of music for children with special needs. "I know of a little boy named Josh who has Down syndrome and communicated primarily through sign language. After spending time in a Kindermusik class, he began to say 'hello' and 'good-bye,' " said Nethercutt. A child who was severely autistic also began to recognize and select animal sounds through music. Although he wasn't verbalizing, he was communicating.
For children with and without developmental delays, a broad-based musical experience can be as simple as singing familiar nursery rhymes at home or in a classroom setting. Children in Kindermusik classes learn the songs from take-home materials. When they come to class, they usually have heard the music played in their homes. They clap their hands, shake jingle bells, jump and dance with colourful scarves. At one recent class, instructor Charlene A directed children to shake their bells "behind," "beside," "backwards" and "forwards." As they responded to directions, the youngsters also learned rhythm. Charlene invited them to try different instruments. When she pulled three drums into the centre of the room, 2-year-old Aaron L attempted to stack the instruments. She encouraged him to experiment with making different sounds and gave him credit for having a creative idea.
With a parent as partner, the children pretended to pull a wagon and fix its broken wheel, singing about the predicament as they worked. They moved quickly to hugging their partners and then pretending to row boats. "My husband and I are both in primary school education. We know the benefits of early intervention when it comes to child development," said Tricia L, 32, Aaron's mother. Although Aaron is naturally a non-verbal child, Tricia, of NSW, said her son is eager to learn. "Music gives him a comfort level for expression," she said. "It helps with self-discipline and just provides fun. At home, he'll just spontaneously break into song and I know he's happy."
Some Comments from Mums... From a current Kindermusik mum.
Johanna and Brendan's Kindermusik Story (..attend Christine Gora's classes in Hobart) Johanna and Brendan live a busy lifestyle with a background in dairy farming at their property north of Hobart. There has been a shift in emphasis from primary milk production to products derived from milk and wine and hence Tasmanian Luxury Baths is now their focus business. Johanna also pursues a career in nursing. Johanna says that “As new parents we found interaction with our children difficult, we were a generation apart. Kindermusik offered a reminder to us that interaction with our children could be enjoyed with music and play in a group of other like-minded parents. In no time at all we remembered our youthful songs and games, learnt new ones whilst our family grew closer, happier and found a common interest in the joy of music” In fact Johanna and Brendan have been Kindermusik parents since Lucy now 5 enrolled as a 9 month old baby. Harry now 4 began with Village and has progressed through Village, Our Time and now Imagine That. Lilly has been in attendance since birth and is now actively involved in Imagine That at 3 years. An important aspect of Kindermusik has been Harry's involvement in the research conducted by Associate Professor Margaret Barrett at the University of Tasmania. This research is a longitudinal study focussing on children's musical identity, Harry has been involved since May 2005. Johanna says “ For me this research has given me the chance to map Harry's development. To see the progress Harry has achieved over the past 2yrs is heart warming, being actively involved in Kindermusik and incorporating this into our daily lives has enriched our parenting experience and family life.”
Harry, Lucy, Johanna and Lilly having fun in a field at home.
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Looking back over Erin's Kindermusik experience for the last 4 or so years, I feel so grateful to have found Simone, our lovely teacher and our beautiful class.
"What a wonderful experience Kindermusik has been for our whole family. Kindermusik with Trish does not just finish when the class time is over, but has wound itself brightly throughout our day. 